


Yule Ball Revisited

by mpjl03



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Harry Potter Next Generation, Multi, Next-Gen, Time Travel, Yule Ball
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-07-14
Updated: 2014-09-04
Packaged: 2018-02-08 21:04:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,271
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1956093
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mpjl03/pseuds/mpjl03
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What's in the past should stay there, right? In 2021 the Yule Ball is held again but the Potters, the Weasleys, a Lupin and a Malfoy find themselves in 1994, encountering some very familiar people and seeing them in a new light. HPGW RWHG RLNT TLVW SMRW</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Expected Task, Unexpectedly Difficult

**Dominique**

Dominique Weasley had never looked forward to the holidays more than she did in the last remaining minute of her Charms class. Not that their work on memory modification wasn’t fascinating; in fact, losing fifteen minutes in class was certainly a plus. The sense to run out the door and never look back seemed to fleet across her thoughts lately. Victoire called it stress over the looming exams.. Dom thought of re-modeling the acronym to Not Even Worth my Time.

 

She still had no idea why she was taking Charms at the NEWT level, or any of her other classes for that matter. She decided her future at twelve years old. Spending the day with her Aunt Ginny at the Daily Prophet was just what she needed to break her summer boredom. It also introduced her to the possibility of a career in journalism.

 

She could imagine making a name for herself as the Daily Prophet’s chief editor on human interest pieces. Gossip and an inclination for eavesdropping was Dominique’s Uncle Fred-ism.

 

Aunt Angelina coined the term a couple years back when James and Freddie shattered the glass ceiling in the Slytherin common room. It was lucky that the incident occurred a few days before students returned home on summer break; flooding from the lake above caused extensive water damage (which meant extensive payments to the school for refurbishment as Aunt Ginny reminded James in her howler.) Dominique knew this was just another attempt at one up-manship in the ongoing prank war between James and Freddie and Scorpius (and Al, albeit reluctantly). Scorpius did in fact jam porcupine quills into the invisible cushion on James’s Firebolt Excelsior before the match between Gryffindor and Slytherin but that was beside the point. Her aunt had noticed that each of the Weasley cousins had inherited some trait or quirk that could be traced back to their late Uncle Fred.

 

Like when Lily and Hugo tried to go to Hogsmeade in their first year through the secret passage behind the old humped witch or when Molly and Roxy sneaked butterbears from the kitchens. Even the most law abiding Weasleys weren’t immune; Rose once popped a Fainting Fancy to get out of handing in a History of Magic essay and Lucy dropped newts in her ex-boyfriend Carl Sommerfeld’s pumpkin juice three weeks ago.

 

The bell rang.. Dominique snapped out of reminiscing the look on Sommerfeld’s face when he realized what he had swallowed. She quickly shoved her books haphazardly in her bag and bolted towards the door. The Hogwarts corridors never looked so inviting. She was practically skipping back to her dorm when she heard them.

 

“’Arry please. I can ‘andle all of zee preparation I zink,” said a familiar voice. Dominique tried to hide behind a corner. She was really in no mood to see her mother right at this moment. Unfortunately she had been spotted.

 

“Dominique! Sweetheart!” Her airy tones in heavily accented French were pleasant, yet Dominique could tell from years of experience when her mother was upset. Right now she seemed stressed.

 

She was quite right of course. Dominique grudgingly moved toward the end of the hall where her mother was standing with her Uncle Harry. Her mother pulled her in swiftly for a kiss and then let go just as suddenly. Harry grinned, watching as the mother daughter pair exchanged greetings in French. Dominique turned to him.

 

“Hi Uncle Harry,” she said.

 

“Hey Dom,” They hugged. “See you’ve got your books. On your way to class?”

 

“Just finished actually.” Dominique knew this was her opportunity to glean more information. “So, are you here on Auror business?” she said casually.

 

Harry seemed amused by the thought but her question seemed to bring her mother back to the topic at hand. “Your uncle has been ‘elping me whith zee last minute touches for zee event. He was just about to return to zee Ministry, right ‘Arry?” Her smile was warm but Dominique noticed her eyes betray the insincerity. Fortunately her Uncle Harry knew how to take a hint.

 

“Well I was just passing by to speak to Professor McGonagall and I noticed your mother organizing the snow removal up the drive and thought I’d lend a helping hand,” said Harry .

 

“Speaking of zat, we must tell ‘agrid to get rid of zhose ‘orrible thestrals. Zee guests should arrive in carriages pulled by snow white ‘orses.”

 

Harry frowned. “I can try but I don’t know where we’ll get so many horses last minute. Maybe we can try decorating the thestrals? Some tinsel in their hair and a bow around their…” He trailed off at the scandalized look Fleur was giving him.

 

“That was a good suggestion. Maybe as a, er, last resort?” Dominique suggested. It was her way of diffusing her mother.

 

“I…weell zink about eet,” she grimaced. Dominique doubted anything as ridiculous as festive thestrals would be allowed while her mother was in charge of planning. Of course, the funny thing was she wasn’t really the one in charge. In fact, the fundraiser was run by Mrs. Warren, a woman who had gone to school around the same time as her Uncle Harry. But since she claimed to be terrible at design, she let Fleur take over. Truthfully, Dominique thought her mother had some seniority in the situation and was able to get her way simply by pulling out the Champion card but Mrs. Warren had more important things to do than decide on the entrees.

 

“Anything would be better zhan that ‘orrible _tartan_ the Headmistress choze.” Fleur said the word tartan as though it were equivalent to a blast ended skrewt, _Well_ Dominique thought, _I guess they would be equally heinous_.

 

At mention of the headmistress, Dominique remembered why her uncle had come in the first place. Seizing the chance to get the story first hand (rather than from Lily later) she asked, “Uncle Harry, why did you have to speak to Professor McGonagall?”

 

Harry smiled, glad to turn the conversation away from his error in outdoor design. “We just had to go over the logistics of the ball. You know, make sure everything runs smoothly. Since there will be so many, er, distinguished guests.” He was always too modest to mention that he would probably be the most distinguished of them all, even surpassing the Minister of Magic. Fleur seemed to have drifted away from the conversation, her mind seemingly still focused on the rest of today’s tasks. Suddenly, she looked startled and as Dominique heard the approaching footsteps and saw the navy cloak turn the corner she knew what had snapped her out of her reverie.

 

Her Uncle Percy was walking towards them, his pace quick as he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. Dominique wondered how many more of her relatives would be storming the castle. Didn’t they remember that Christmas was in two days? Then she remembered he might have a valid reason to be there too since he was the Head of the Department for International Magical Cooperation. He would be the buffer between Hogwarts and the other two schools invited to attend the ball, Durmstrang and her mother’s alma matter Beauxbatons.

 

Dominique thought it was nice that they would be in attendance, even if the Triwizard Tournament would not be held, the original reason for the Yule Ball. In fact, Uncle Harry had made sure it could never be held again and had only allowed the event to be titled the Yule Ball at Mrs. Warren’s request. She thought her mum had said that she had met her briefly during the ball, at the champion’s table. Her date, the other Hogwarts champion, was killed a few months later, Dominique remember vaguely. He must be the Cedric Diggory of the Cedric Diggory Youth Quidditch Foundation, the charity Mrs. Warren runs.

 

“Harry – you must come with me – urgent – disturbance at the Ministry – unnaturally large current of magic –“ Uncle Percy sputtered the words out as he reached them. He seemed to have run through all of Hogwarts to find Harry.

 

“Unnaturally large current of magic? What on earth does that mean?” Harry asked, frowningly deeply. Percy took a deep breath than spoke.

 

“Seems there was a loud blast by the Department of Mysteries. Workers went to investigate and found the hallway was perfectly fine, nothing out of the ordinary. Yet when they scanned the area with their wands they found extremely high levels of magical energy in the vicinity. They have no idea what caused it or why nothing seems damaged. That level of magic, it’s never been seen before. There’s no telling what it might have done.” He then realized that Harry wasn’t alone. “Oh hi Fleur, Dominique. Didn’t see you there.”  They exchanged hellos than looked expectantly at Harry, waiting for his decision.

 

Harry sighed. “I guess I better come with you.” He turned to Fleur and Dominique. “Fleur, I’ll see you later tonight. Tell Ginny I’m going to be late. Dominique, I will see you in a couple days.” He gave her a small smile and then the two men left, leaving Dominique with her mother. Lovely.

 

___

 

**Hugo**

 

Dominique, the biggest gossip Hugo had ever met and that included Shannon Finnegan, had just spilled what she had witnessed to him. He was the only Weasley cousin the Gryffindor common room, so naturally he became her confidant. He had been reading _Flying With the Cannons_ for thirty-first time but even a book he practically knew by heart was better than gossip.

 

Lily always tried to tell him about how she disliked this Ravenclaw girl Stella Burman in her Potions class and how her roommate Jenny Larson’s snores sounded like a car engine. Sometimes Hugo wondered how they remained best friends; they were so different, the first huge distinction being their genders. Plus they only became close out of necessity of being the youngest cousins, the forgotten siblings. Then Lily would come into the common room, hand him a cauldron cake (his favorite) and they would discuss the chances for different teams in the upcoming season (They decided that the Winbourne Wasps wouldn’t crack the Top 20 and that Puddlemere United had a chance of pulling a spectacular comeback to win it all like they did in ’98)

 

Wishing Lily was here to listen and condense the essentials for him, Hugo just nodded as Dominique finished the story.

 

“So?”

 

“Soooo…..what?” Hugo shrugged. Dominique smacked him with his book. He let out a grunt of pain, rubbing his shoulder.

 

“That kind of hurt you know!”

 

“What do you think that magical disturbance was?” Obviously Dominique had realized it was better to get directly to the point with Hugo.

 

“Dunno. But it was the Department of Mysteries, right? Maybe it was them who caused it and they didn’t want to tell anyone.” Dominique looked thoughtful.

 

“Well they are pretty shady. That sounds like something they might do. Maybe they’ve discovered some fantastic new spell and they’re testing it out….” Dominique was deeply engrossed in her new thoughts, unaware that Hugo wasn’t paying attention. He saw the portrait hole open and heard a familiar voice say, “I’ll see you later Sofie!” Lily spotted them immediately and plopped down on the armrest of Hugo’s chair.

 

“Oh Lily. I was just telling Hugh I saw your Dad just now.” She then launched into the story again. This time Hugo completely tuned it out. He could only think of one thing, the person Lily had been talking to.

 

He didn’t quite know how he felt about Sofia. She was one of Lily’s good friends, a dark haired petite Ravenclaw, a little more shy and reserved compared to Lily’s domineering, outgoing nature. Since he and Lily were so close, it was natural for him to get to know her, to know that she was the seeker on her house team and how her family had moved to Britain when she was young specifically so she could attend Hogwarts. But he also knew the small things, the slight lisp that came with speaking English as a second language, the way her thick hair looked so hopelessly windswept after a long practice that when she tied it up she always missed the spot by her left ear.

 

So Hugo guessed he could say they were friends. He guessed he could say that she was the kind of friend he would like to take to the Yule Ball. Lucky for him that third years were allowed to attend at all (because Aunt Ginny had made it a point to say there was very little difference between thirteen and fourteen) Unlukcy in that he hadn’t asked her yet and the ball was in two days. He had steeled himself, told himself that tonight would be his night. He should make good on that promise.

 

“Excuse me, I have to er, see Al” It was a lame excuse but Dominique and Lily were hardly paying attention to him anyway. He dashed out of the common room and spotted her on the staircase. He followed her to the fifth floor landing then called our her name.

 

She spun around and smiled when she saw who it was. “Hey Hugo.” Hugo didn’t know why he suddenly felt like running back up the steps, forgetting the whole thing. _She’s my friend_ , he thought yet he couldn’t explain why he felt so anxious.

 

“Sofia, have you, um, ha-have you got a date to the Yule Ball? You know cause, I thought…..well I thought since we’re good, er, mates, we could go together. Like as friends?” His groaned inwardly at his attempt to sound casual that turned him into a blabbering mess. Why he had to keep talking when he would have been safe with the first sentence he would never know. Sofia’s smile dropped.

 

“Oh Hugo, I’d love to. But I already said I’d go with Marty Smith. I’m sorry.” She looked genuinely sorry but Hugo was already deflated. Marty Smith was the biggest prat, a forth year Hufflepuff who liked to swing his beater’s bat as he walked down the corridors. The more first years he hit, the better. Git.

 

“Ok, well, that’s great. Have a great time with Marty then,” Hugo turned around and sped off back up the steps. He heard Sofia call him but he ran until he reached the common room.

 

“Oi, why do you look like you’ve just outran an acromantula?” James had joined Lily and Dominique by the fire.

 

“I’m fine. Just thought I’d take the steps at a jog. And don’t talk about acromantuals,” Hugo shuddered. Lily raised an eyebrow but Hugo silenced her with a look that clearly said not now. She kept her eyes narrowed but Hugo ignored her as he sat in the chair opposite James.

 

“So I heard your sister’s taking Edgar Davies to the ball,” Lily said nonchalantly. Dominique looked up, clearly annoyed that she hadn’t heard this piece of gossip first.

 

“When did she tell you that? You would think she would let me know about that seeing as I am her sister,” Dominique pouted.

 

“Well actually Al just told me at breakfast,” Lily shrugged. Dominique looked even more put out.

 

James butted in, “Al wouldn’t have know unless I told him about it and I found out when I heard RJ talking about it to his mates.”

 

“RJ?” Hugo asked.

 

“Davies’ younger brother. They’re both idiots,” Lily said disdainfully. “Why is she going with him?”

 

Dominique answered, “Probably because he’s good looking. And Teddy hates him. It’s really the perfect option isn’t it.” Lily sighed

 

“Why did they have to split? They were together for so long, nearly five years. I thought they were going to get married.”

 

“Well all I know is they got into a big row a few months back and that she ended it. But I wouldn’t give up hope Lil. Obviously Edgar is a ploy to make Teddy jealous. Victoire probably thinks he’ll beg for her back,” Dominique shook her head.

 

“I just don’t understand. Doesn’t Victoire sill love him?” Hugo asked. Dominique nodded.

 

Lily piped in, “And I know Teddy’s been miserable for weeks. Mum wrote me and told me he hair is brown now. And not the nice kind, the mousy, lanky type.” She shot Hugo a quick smile at the last part, which he knew she tacked on for him. He was quite proud of his thick, chestnut hair, probably the only think he had inherited from his mother besides his brown eyes. Everything else from his tall, lanky frame to his large nose and feet, and the smattering of freckles on his cheeks he had gotten from his dad.

 

James shuddered, “I can’t imagine Teddy with a natural hair color. It’s just too strange.” They all nodded in agreement.

 

“So who will Teddy go with?” Lily wondered allowed. James shrugged. “Who are you all going with?”

 

“Steven Mars,” Dominique sighed. Lily gave her a look and she elaborated, “He’s a nice bloke but he’s no Robbie Wood.” Her eyes glazed over and Hugo stifled the urge to gag. Robbie was a nice guy, good Quidditch player but he wasn’t as handsome as the girls who fainted at his feet made him out to me. Then again, Hugo wouldn’t really understand what constituted handsome.

 

Lily looked dreamy at the thought and then pulled herself back. “I’m going with Lorcan.” Hugo raised an eyebrow.

 

Lily became defensive, “He’s our friend Hugo. Plus Lucy said she’d go with Lysander. We could be the four Ls” Lily seemed delighted by this coincidental alliteration. James frowned.

 

“Wasn’t this the boy who tried to convince you that your broom was made out of bowtruckle babies?”

 

“Well he is a bit – eccentric” Hugo snorted and Lily aimed a kick at his leg, missing his shin by inches. “But he’s sweet.”

 

“I guess that’s better than that git McLaggen,” James said. _Or Smith,_ Hugo thought.

 

“My brother approving my date? What happened to “I’ll kill any bloke who gets within ten feet of my sister”?” Lily teased.

 

James grinned, “Lilypad, I trust you enough to make good choices in men.” Lily looked at him, disbelief etched in every line of her face. “Well 10% of the time,” he added.

 

“James have you got a date?” Dominique asked.

 

“I’m thinking I might go stag. Really go true to my Potter roots, right?” James grinned and Lily and Dominique groaned.

 

“You know Al was thinking that too. Of course that was before Alice asked him,” Lily said. At this, James’ smile vanished. Hugo knew he hated being upstaged by Al in anything, especially when it came to women. James thought himself an expert at sixteen although he’d never had a serious girlfriend, to Hugo’s knowledge.

 

“She asked him?” He looked shocked. Lily nodded.

 

“Yeah I guess she fancies him as much as she hates you James,” Lily teased. James didn’t seem to notice the jab. Hugo chuckled at his expense. Just then, he saw a group of girls emerge from the girls’ dormitories. Shannon Finnegan was in the center as always, surrounded by her girl posse. He saw a new opportunity.

 

“Oi, Shannon!” He immediately regretted that. James snapped out of his funk and shot him an evil sort of grin. Lily and Dom pretended to be casual but he could sense they were planning to eavesdrop on this entire exchange. Shannon’s friends giggled like mad. Sensing he better do the thing properly he walked over to her.

 

“Want to go to the ball with me?” It was frank, honest and his last chance. Shannon pondered it for a moment. Her long fringe covered her face, making it inscrutable. Hugo waited, somewhat desperate but not nearly as nervous as he had been with Sofia.

 

“Alright,” With that she left, her friends trailing behind her. He could hear them burst into excited conversation outside the common room before the portrait hole was shut. Good to know he wasn’t completely terrible with the ladies.

 

\----

 

**Scorpius**

 

They had baked cod for dinner that night, Scorpius’ favorite. Surely it was a sign to him that good things were coming his way. Rose always told him that was ridiculous, that food wasn’t a harbinger of good omens. Scorpius had to disagree. He had met her at the food trolley on his first train ride to Hogwarts. They bonded over licorice wands and the next thing he knew he was sitting with her and Al, his two best friends at school.

 

Surprising how they managed to stay friends, even when Rose went to Ravenclaw and he and Al ended up in Slytherin. Even more surprising was finding himself getting along with all of the Weasley Potter clan. Al couldn’t even believe how well he got along with his brother. Their prank wars were starting to become the thing of legend and yet they were never malicious or cruel. Except that time Scorpius dyed James’ hair platinum blonde. Apparently being friends with a Malfoy was acceptable but looking like one was not.

 

Al found Scorpius sitting by himself, reading _A History of Magic_ and digging into his third piece of cod.

 

“You’re pathetic, you know that? Worse than Rosie,” Al scoffed as he spotted the book. Scorpius grinned.

 

“This is just a bit of light reading. Waiting for you isn’t all that fun you know.”

 

Al sighed, “Sorry Scor, I got caught up talking to Louis. He was quizzing me on Remembering drafts.”

 

“Potter, the OWLs are months away!” Scorpius said, highly exasperated.

 

“I can’t be a healer if I don’t get a good mark in Potions,” Al reminded him. Scorpius had nothing to add to that. He still had no idea what he wanted to do with his life. Al had it all figured out on that first train ride. And he’s been pushing himself for years to prepare. Rose and Al were neck in neck for top of the class. Scorpius was highly amused watching them go at it.

 

“Pass me the buttered peas. I’m starving,” Al said and Scorpius complied. They ate and were on their way back downstairs when they saw Rose and Roxanne chatting in the entrance hall. Scorpius made a beeline towards her.

 

“…yeah I met him last summer when we went to Paris. He goes to Beauxbatons…” Rose was saying excitedly to Roxanne.

 

“You’re so lucky Rose. I still don’t have a date. I’d love to go with a handsome foreign boy. Does he have a brother?” The girls laughed. Scorpius felt his stomach drop.

 

“Oh hey Al, Scorpius” Rose turned to him, beaming. He couldn’t believe he had waited this long. He felt like such a fool. He thought maybe because they were best mates, it would be easy. She would have preferred to go with him than with one of her cousins, right? Scorpius knew that none of the fifth year boys had asked her but he hadn’t counted on an outsider. _Damn the French,_ he cursed silently.

 

“So you’re going with a boy from Beauxbatons?” Al asked genially and Rose nodded.

 

“Alice told me you were going with her.” Al smiled. “She also told me she had to ask you. You’re such a prat, you were ready to ask her last week.” His grin vanished. Scorpius and Roxanne laughed.

 

“Well, at least we’re going together, that’s all that matters now, right?” Al said and Rose rolled her eyes.

 

She turned to Scorpius, “Who are you going with Scor?” Trying not to be distracted by the warm feeling in his stomach at her saying his name, he quickly thought of someone.

 

“I’m er, going with…Roxanne!” He looked over to Roxanne who looked shocked to learn this. Al and Rose looked at them curiously. Roxanne recovered.

 

“Oh yeah, we, um, decided to go together,” She said in a light tone. Al and Rose didn’t notice her eyes were shooting daggers at Scorpius. Scorpius mouthed a thank you.

 

“Well I’d better go back to the library,” Al said. Scorpius groaned.

 

“I’ll come with,” Rose added and they walked up the staircase and out of sight. Roxanne turned on him.

 

“What the hell was that Malfoy?” she frowned, her hands on her hip.

 

“Thank you so much Roxanne. I just couldn’t let them know I still didn’t have a date,” Scorpius admitted truthfully. Roxanne sighed.

 

“You’re just lucky I didn’t have one either. I was getting quite desperate myself,” she smiled. “I’m wearing turquoise. Plan accordingly.” And with that she headed to the Hufflepuff common room.

 

Scorpius didn’t notice his heart had just stopped racing. He felt as if his nerves had been pumping at break neck speed. It’s a good thing he had his mother, he thought suddenly. His dad hadn’t been too keen on his alliance with the Weasley’s but miraculously he allowed it. It helped that his Grandmother had reconciled a few years back with her sister, Teddy’s Grandmum. His mother loved to dote on Teddy. Although her thick, dark hair and imposing stature didn’t convey it, she was extremely maternal. She was so pleased when Al told her she liked her treacle fudge that she sent him a near stone of it for Christmas. The package had to be lifted by five owls.

 

Yes, his father approved only because his mother had taken a liking to Teddy and Al. She hadn’t really seen much of Rose but Scorpius knew she would take to her like he did. She could be the daughter she never had. Or the daughter-in-law.

 

Sometimes Scorpius’ mind wandered to this place, and he couldn’t imagine how it got there. All he knew was that he could be thinking of anything, Quidditch, hippogriffs, the bar maid at the Three Broomsticks and inevitably it would lead back to Rose. _I wonder if Rose could have made a save like that. Rose loves animals, maybe I should get her this hippogriff for Christmas. The bar maid has blue eyes but their not ocean blue. Not like Rose’s._

 

He knew he needed help. Unfortunately he felt he couldn’t confide in anyone. His two best friends were the object of his affection and her overprotective cousin. He could try talking to Damon Wilcox, a boy in their dormitory, but he was way too much of a liability. If he wanted the whole school to know, he would tell Damon first.

 

As he reopened _A History of Magic_ on an armchair by the fire, he paused at he favorite page. _Ronald and Hermione Weasley, war heroes, with their children Rose, 7, and Hugo, 5._ Rose’s parents were smiling and waving up, while Hugo pouted in the corner, like he usually did. Rose was trying to cheer him up. She held up a teddy bear she had been photographed with and made it dance around Hugo’s spot on the floor. He cracked a grin as it did a tap dance number. Scorpius knew Rose disliked the picture, the fact that her face was in there for all to see. She felt her parents should have been in it alone. They were the war heroes, not her and Hugo. Besides seven was when her hair resembled a wide tailed broom, it was unflattering. Scorpius couldn’t disagree with her more. It was the most beautiful picture he had ever seen.

 


	2. Weasley Women's Worries

Chapter 2 – Weasley Women’s Worries

**Victoire**

Hundreds of miles away from Scorpius and his bedtime reading, Victoire was mashing potatoes. Choosing to do it the muggle way, she slammed the large grated utensil into the bowl watching gleefully as potato bits flew everywhere. Of course Nana Molly was right to give her the most careless job. When she arrived at her grandparents’ house she was quite moody but insisted on helping prepare dinner. Nana Molly said nothing as she went to work on the potatoes, leaving her wand on the counter as she pounded with as much force as she could muster.

Of course Nana Molly would eventually want to ask her what was wrong, and that was something Victoire was not ready to spill now. Or possibly ever. Though whether she said anything or not, everyone would know in a few months time. She gritted her teeth. It wasn’t the news itself that was upsetting her, it was the fact that she was caught off guard. Victoire hated surprises. A few years ago Teddy organized a surprise party for her birthday. She was so shocked she accidentally sent a jelly legs jinx at her dad. Who unfortunately was holding her birthday cake. Which Hugo still attempted to eat off the floor.

She heard voices at the door. That must be her aunts and uncles. Nana Molly thought it would be nice to have a family dinner two nights before Christmas. Especially since Christmas was being spent at Hogwarts this year by the majority of her grandchildren.

“You mash that any more and we’ll be having potato soup.”

Another voice responded. “Well that would be nice. I think I’ve got frostbite, it’s so damn cold outside.”

Victoire spun around. Her Aunt Angelina gave her an amused smile. From behind her she saw Aunt Ginny rub her hands together. She ran to them, embracing them with a lot more strength than she normally would have.

“Trying to knock me over?” Ginny teased. Victoire just smiled. She was so happy to see her aunts. They were the type of company she needed right now.

“Where eez my daughter?” A voice called from the hallway. Her mother was accompanied into the kitchen by Aunt Hermione and Aunt Audrey. Nana Molly beamed from the stove. They all exchanged hugs and greetings before setting to work on dinner. Looking at the state of the potatoes, Nana Molly said Victoire could sit out the cooking. She sat at the table with Hermione, the other person most likely to ruin dinner. Angelina and Audrey worked on a cherry rhubard pie at the counter while Ginny helped her mum chop vegetables for the stew. Fleur was in charge of the green beans, the only thing Nana Molly ever really felt comfortable giving her. Victoire would have to agree with her; sometimes her mum felt it necessary to make every dish as French as possible. She had to stop when her father broke the chair in their kitchen due to his excessive weight gain aided by butter.

“So Victoire how are you? I hardly see you around anymore. I quite miss our lunch dates,” Aunt Hermione said with a small smile. Victoire felt guilty. She didn’t stop going to the Ministry to avoid her aunt. No there was a certain turquoise haired ex-boyfriend who worked on the Auror department that she wasn’t keen on seeing.

“Oh you know, I’ve been busy. I’m working the late shift at St. Mungo’s to make some extra galleons.” This wasn’t exactly true. Victoire didn’t need to take a late shift at St. Mungo’s because she wasn’t a healer. Technically her job was a cross between a healer and a researcher but still, it wasn’t the type of healer that needed to take late shifts. Granted funding through the Department for the Regulation and Conrol of Magical Creatures, Victoire was researching lycanthropy and possible methods of treatment besides the Wolfsbane potion. Her eventual goal was to find a cure but she hadn’t told anyone that. Well except for her lousy ex-boyfriend with the werewolf father.

“Does that help with your research? Do you observe patients on full moon nights?” Hermione asked keenly. Victoire knew how much Aunt Hermione loved her working with the maligned members of their society. Almost as much as she loved learning about the work entailed in her research. Uncle Ron always said it amazed him how much she was able to keep up a conversation with anyone even their batty old neigher Mr. Wilifred whose favorite topic of conversation was his false teeth.

Luckily Audrey dropped the pie crust at that moment, sparing Victoire from digging herself deeper into her lie. She sprang to pick it up. Audrey smiled gratefully.

“Sometimes I have a hard time kneading the dough. My height doesn’t really help me much.” She chuckled. She was a good six inches shorter than Victoire and Victoire was no model when it came to her height.

“No problem,” Victoire mumbled.

“Oh Geenny. I forgot to mention zat ‘Arry will be late for dinner,” Fleur said.

“Sometimes I think that man will take on every case the Auror department is fielding. He’s terrible at delegating tasks,” Ginny sighed.

“This time it seemed pretty urgent. Percy was telling me there was a magical disturbance by the Department of Mysteries corridor this afternoon,” Audrey said. Ginny exchanged a look with Hermione. Victoire thought they must be thinking of what had happened at the Department of Mysteries all those years ago. She only knew that Uncle Harry’s godfather, Sirius Black, had died that day. They still didn’t trust her enough to give her the unabridged version at twenty-one.

“Hopefully no one was hurt,” Nana Molly said anxiously. Of course Victoire already knew that story. Grandad was attacked by a snake in that very hall.

“I guess we’ll know when Harry gets back,” Ginny said, her voice now etched with worry.

Angelina, feeling the tension in the room, changed the subject, “So what’s the count for dinner Molly?”

“I think it will be us, Arthur and all the boys except Charlie. He won’t be coming home at all. He’s spending the holiday in Romania, been swamped at work lately,” Molly frowned. Audrey gave a small cough and Ginny grinned at her. Victoire had overheard them talking about Charlie’s new girlfriend a few weeks back. A new potential Mrs. Weasley to join the club (Ginny maintained honorary member status, even as Mrs. Potter.)

“What about Teddy?” Hermione asked.

She immediately regretted that. Fleur shot her a dangerous look as the rest of the women mumbled uncomfortably.

Victoire sighed. If she had known how it would affect the rest of the family should they break up, she would never have started dating Teddy in the first place. He was her best friend since childhood, another member of the family. It only seemed natural that he should make it official. That he should marry one of them. That he should marry her.

Hermione winced and then gave Victoire an apologetic look. Victoire brushed it off. It had been a few months, and the wound was just starting to heal. She knew she would have to see him eventually. And possibly for the rest of her life. It was a bitter pill to swallow, considering the hurt feelings on both sides. The only thing that truly stood in the way of their reconciliation was stubborn pride. She would never give it up and neither would he; that was their crossroads.

“Actually he told Harry he was going to Andromeda’s tonight. Having Christmas dinner early since he will be attending the ball.” Ginny said, attempting nonchalance. Victoire breathed a sigh of relief. She would have to face Teddy, but not tonight. Her emotions had been at extremes all day, she was bound to do something rash if she saw him. But she was also bursting to let it all out.

The women moved on from that awkward moment quickly and spent the rest of the hour exchanging gossip. The Weasley men were a subject they all found even footing in, so the conversation usually gravitated toward them. Victoire didn’t really feel like learning much more about her dad and her uncles then she already knew so she excused herself.

She decided to spend the night last minute. Luckily her Aunt Ginny had kept a lot of her old clothes in her room. Victoire headed up there, feeling the weight of each step as she walked. She sat on the bed and wondered how her life had ended up the way it did.

Tears streamed down her face and she laid down, letting the old quilt sop up her wet face. There was a knock on the door.

“Victoire! Are you in there?” Victoire quickly wiped her face and ran to the door. It was her Aunt Ginny. She walked through the doorway without a word and plopped herself down on the bed. I guess she has every right to barge in. It is her room, after all.

“Why’d you leave? There was some pretty juicy gossip going on down there,” Victoire said with a small smile.

Ginny twisted her mouth. “I don’t ever want to know that much about my brothers.” She shuddered and Victoire laughed. She sat down next to her.

“How are you handling it?” Ginny asked. Victoire didn’t know what to say so she stared at her feet. Ginny sighed, “You know breaking up isn’t the end of the world. You never know, you could find your soul mate tomorrow.” Victoire just looked at her.

“Or you could find that breaking up is the best thing for your relationship.” Victoire stared at her. Ginny chuckled at her disbelief. “It’s true. Did you know that me and your Uncle Harry broke up after we started dating at the end of my fifth year.”

“Why?” Victoire asked at once.

“Cause he was a noble prat,” Ginny declared.

Seeing Victoire raise an eyebrow, she added, “He thought that he couldn’t fight the Dark Lord without leaving me. He thought I would be safe if I wasn’t associated with him.” These words were starting to become familiar to Victoire. Teddy was just as self-sacrificing. Perhaps at the cost of his own happiness.

“Oh, but it worked out in the end didn’t it?” Victoire said. It was a bright spot, knowing how the story ended, knowing that all was well. She couldn’t say the same about her and Teddy. Their future was blank canvas but Victoire could see sketches of what was to come and she couldn’t be more terrified.

“Yes, but it took work. We didn’t reconcile right after the war. There was a lot of healing, a lot of things we had to deal with before we were ready to be together again. Maybe you’ll find that’s the case with you and Teddy,” Ginny stood up. “Come, let’s go eat. I think I heard my husband downstairs.”

She was about to walk into the hall when Victoire called out, “Aunt Ginny!” She turned around, an expectant look on her face. Victoire’s voice died in her throat.

“I’ll be right down,” she said meekly. It sounded better than I’m pregnant.

___

**Lucy**

It was Christmas morning and all Lucy wanted to do was go back to sleep. Not that she didn’t love getting presents cause seriously, who doesn’t enjoy that? No, Lucy found that the holidays were the only time she could get some rest. Unfortunately this year she wasn’t at home but rather at Hogwarts with nearly the entire school. So of course her roommate, Evangeline Switch was already up and tearing off the wrapping paper of a large box at the corner of her bed.

Lucy knew she had to get up but it wasn’t a pleasant thought. Sighing she rolled out of bed, her hair sticking straight up like it usually did from the friction of her pillow. She combed it out and then surveyed her own present pile. There was of course a thick woolen jumper, powder blue this year with a yellow L on it. Sometimes she wondered if these jumpers were meant for Louis or Lily. She had received a red and gold one two years ago that Nana Molly must have marked wrong. But Lily seemed to like her navy blue and silver one so she kept it.

It always amazed Lucy how Nana Molly had enough time to knit a jumper for all of her grandchildren, her children and her children’s spouses. Her mum joked that she must start on Boxing Day. She even made one for Teddy and she could have sworn Scorpius was wearing one last year.

Her parents got her the Encyclopedia on Rare and Exotic Plants, just like she wanted. Of course her mum snuck in a charm bracelet, “something girly or something fun.” Mum always told her she was far too serious and Lucy always replied that Molly was wild enough for the both of them. Molly had gotten her a pair of knee length, mismatched socks in orange and purple and blue and yellow stripes. In return, Lucy had given her sister a book on famous Quidditch players from Hufflepuff house.

She sorted through the rest of the gifts and then pulled on her new jumper and her favorite corduroy trousers and headed to breakfast. She saw Lysander Scamander asleep in an armchair and wondered what he must have been doing last night. Lucy hoped he would at least be conscious to go to the ball with her later. Just like Molly and Lucy, Lorcan and Lysander were so different you couldn’t believe they were related. Yet the Scamander were identical twins, they had the same blonde hair and wide hazel eyes. All Molly and Lucy had in common was their height and their freckles.

Lucy was on the staircase when she saw a group of Slytherins past. She scanned for her cousin but saw he wasn’t among them. They were in her year, she recognized Leo Nott. He smirked at her and she just ignored him.

“Hey Weasley!” Nott called out, “Heard you and Sommerfeld broke it off. I know he’s dense but I didn’t think it would take him this long to realize-“

She cut him off. “Hate to break it to you Nott but Carl was quite the charmer. I thought you’d be happy we’d broken up. I know you’ve been dying to get in his pants,” she sneered. His face turned red and she grinned wickedly, hopping down the steps two at a time.

Sometimes that boy infuriated her. He seemed to live to torture her. Lucy was used to being able to fight with her words but usually her opponents were much dumber. Nott was smart, actually really smart yet he was a Slytherin through and through. She knew he was Scorpius’ cousin but Scorpius wasn’t arrogant, he didn’t act like his pureblood status made him better than anyone else. Her mum was a muggle born witch and Lucy remembered the stories of how they were treated during the Second Wizarding War. The thought of it made her seethe so she attempted to clear her mind as she entered the Great Hall.

For some reason if seemed much larger than usual. Was it even possible to expand it? Lucy thought. She knew that there would be so many people in attendance for tonight’s fundraiser. All of the witches and wizards in attendance at the first Yule Ball were invited to attend as well as their children and all of the current students at Hogwarts. Lucy was excited to meet students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang. Her father was the Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation and he always mentioned how important it was for wizards of all cultures and languages to work together. Lucy always took her father’s advice seriously because Molly never did. So while Lucy tried to get French lessons from Aunt Fleur, Molly, Freddie and James tied a garden gnome to one of Uncle George’s tiny toy broomsticks and watched it zoom around the garden.

Lucy loved her sister dearly but she couldn’t understand how they were related. Her mum wasn’t quite as study oriented as her father was, that much she had always known, but she wasn’t like Molly. Molly was constantly in detention. It was a wonder she was still allowed to be on the Hufflepuff team. Lucy was praised when she got the top marks in her Transfiguration class; Molly was praised when she made it through the week without setting someone’s hair on fire. Obviously her Uncle Fred-ism was more prominent than Lucy’s. Although there was that one time Lucy blew up the girl’s toilet on the fourth floor but that was a complete accident. She really wasn’t planning on sending anyone a toilet seat, she just left her wand in a really bad spot. It still made her mum laugh for months.

Louis was sitting alone staring moodily at his breakfast so Lucy decided to sit by him. Lorcan seemed to have been gesturing to her but she hadn’t noticed until it was too late. She gave him an apologetic grimace and he nodded, seemingly understanding what she was attempting when he saw Louis’ face.

His silver blonde hair was extremely disheveled, rivaling James and Uncle Harry’s hair. He seemed intent on poking at his fried potatoes and didn’t see her sit down.

“Who died?” Lucy asked casually. Louis glared but Lucy wasn’t having any of it. Most people thought she must be a pushover with her petite frame and her thick glasses but, as Molly always reminded her parents, she had inherited a stubborn streak that they occasionally saw in their Dad and Aunt Ginny.

“Fine then, don’t talk to me. I’d much rather eat my sausages and eggs in silence. Conversation is overrated, don’t you think?” Louis had no comment. Lucy dove into her breakfast and finally he broke.

“Hugo’s such a git,” he said flatly. Lucy didn’t convey any shock over this statement.

“Sometimes yes, but not nearly as much as James and Freddie,” she pointed out. “What did he do to deserve your ire?”

“He’s gone and asked Shannon to the ball.” He gritted his teeth.

“Wasn’t that a few night’s ago? I thought you were going to ask her. What did you forget?”

He snapped. “No, I was just working up my nerve. And he had to bloody ruin it.”

“Maybe it’s for the best? Aren’t you going with that nice Hufflepuff? Celia Pierce?” she inquired.

“Well yeah but why does that matter? I was only lucky she didn’t have a date on such short notice. Trust me she wasn’t thrilled either. Thought Robbie Wood was going to ask her.” He shook his head.

“I’m just saying, what do you and Shannon have in common anyway? She’s always…” Lucy was at a loss to describe it, “…giggling.”

Louis frowned. “What are you saying I’m not happy enough to be with her?” Lucy didn’t know how to answer that question tactfully so she reached for the ketchup. The daily swarm of owls arrived. Lucy was surprised to find her owl, Bathilda had a letter attached to her leg. She smiled as the bird reached her, stroking her golden brown feathers and letting her nibble on her toast before taking off back to the owlery. She read,

Lucy,

Are you planning on going into Hogsmeade today? Well you better because I’ve just had a fashion emergency and I need you to come with me. Roxanne, Rose, Molly and Lily are coming too. Meet us at the entrance hall at noon.

\- Dom

PS – Don’t ask me why I sent you an owl. Then I would have to explain why I was in the Owlery and you really don’t want to know that story.

Lucy had completely forgotten that a special Hogsmeade weekend had been planned for Christmas.

“What did that say?” Louis asked, obviously sidetracked from his previous question. Lucy told him and he actually let slip a small smile.

“You Weasley women and your shopping,” he shook his head.

“Says the boy who had to specify his dress robes be the same color blue as his eyes,” Lucy shot back. Louis shut up.

____

**Roxanne**

Roxanne tapped her foot impatiently on the stone floor. Usually she wasn’t bothered by people being late. Growing up with Freddie taught her the virtue of patience. Today, however, was not going anything like she planned.

The morning started off great. And why wouldn’t it. It was Christmas after all. Roxanne was a big fan of waking up early and unwrapping her gifts. When she and Freddie were younger, he used to wake up early and leave their living room a disaster. Every single present managed to be open by the time Roxanne came downstairs. After that she started waking up even earlier than Freddie just to make sure he didn’t destroy her stuff again and the habit stuck.

Using the time to her advantage, Roxanne finished off a quick breakfast and decided to engage in a snowball fight was Aaron Finch-Fletchley and Jane Turpin. It was an excellent morning really. Then Dominique showed up.

She was in a panic because she could find a proper ribbon to tie her hair in. Her violet dress robes clashed with the purple ribbon, apparently. Roxanne didn’t see much difference in the colors but she was wise enough not to argue with her.

So that was how she ended up in the entrance hall at noon with Dominique and the rest of her cousins. Molly was shaking snow out of her hair. Apparently Darren Crosby had decided to make a snow man on her head. He said he liked the contrast of white on red, kind of like snow on lava.

Rose was reading a book entitled 394 Ways to Tame Unruly, Unmanageable Hair. Dominique was telling Lucy all about the Department of Mysteries trouble as apparently that gossip never reached her. Finally Lily appeared, brushing her long hair out of her face and catching her breath.

“So sorry I’m late.” She panted. “I couldn’t find my purse.” Roxanne wasn’t surprised by this at all. Lily’s idea of cleaning was throwing everything into her trunk and hoping if she pushed down hard enough it might all fit.

“No problem. Let’s go girls!” Dominique exclaimed.

They made their way down to the village, the wind blowing their hair and burning their cheeks. It was so cold that when they made it into Hogsmeade they agreed to stop at The Three Broomsticks for butterbeer before heading to Gladrags Wizard Wear.

The pub was packed with students, all wasting away the hours until the start of the ball. There were no empty booths or tables left so they sat at the bar. Roxanne loved to swing her feet up on the high stools.

“Ow!”

“Oh sorry!” She had accidently kicked Rose in the knee.

She was bent down to see where her foot had landed when the door opened and more people entered. The wind came in as well, a strong gust that knocked off Roxanne’s wool hat. Already in position, she crouched down further, moving off the stool and on to the ground to snatch it. Roxanne was about to sit down again when she saw it.

Underneath the bar there were carvings, the initials of people who had come and gone. What caught her eye were the Ws. She saw two of them clustered next to another one and get in close to see it. It read: B.W. C.W. N.T. X-Mas ’94.

“Oi, look what I found under the table,” Roxanne sat up. The girls looked at her. “B.W. C.W. N.T. X-Mas ’94’ That’s got to be Uncle Bill and Uncle Charlie right?”

“My dad carved his name under the bar. Let me see.” Dominique bent down and looked at the spot Roxanne pointed out. She stood up, carefully fixing her strawberry blonde hair. “That looks sort of like his handwriting.”

“Wonder why they weren’t at the Burrow that year?” Rose asked, frowning slightly.

“It said ’94, right?” Lucy added. Roxanne nodded. “Wasn’t that the year the Yule Ball was held?”

“I think your right,” Roxanne said. It was funny how little they knew about the event, considering another one was being held this very evening. All she knew was that no one in her family really liked to discuss what went on during the war. Even though the Yule Ball was before the official start of the war, the Triwziard Tournament in itself was too painful to talk about. Her mum always warned her and Freddie not to ask Uncle Harry about that, amongst other things. It would only bring up bad memories.

Even James, Al and Lily didn’t know much about their father, besides his role in defeating the Dark Lord. Aunt Ginny always said she would tell them when they were ready. They still persisted in asking her every now and then (James always asked whenever he sent his parents a letter.)

The only thing Roxanne knew about the Yule Ball was what she saw in a photograph. It was the type of picture she knew her parents didn’t want to her see. Why else would they keep it in an old musty box in their attic? Roxanne remembered Freddie egging her on, daring her to go upstairs and take a peek at the things their parents discouraged them from looking at.

In the box she found a pair of dress robes which must have belonged to her father as well as her mother’s gold one. That was where she found the photo. Two people laughing and doing a silly twirling dance in what must have been the Great Hall. It was so different from the way Roxanne had ever seen it. All donned in icicles and topped with trees, and there was her mother dancing with her date. Most of the time she was looking at the man twirling her about and laughing. But sometimes she would look directly into the camera with a dazzling smile for an unseen audience.

Roxanne could recognize that the man was her father, even with his left ear attached to his head. They had obviously gone together, yet Roxanne couldn’t understand why this wonderful picture wasn’t hanging downstairs with their wedding photos and the pictures of her and Freddie as babies.

“NT? Who could that be?” Roxanne snapped out of her musings on the photo. Lucy was looking puzzled but then Lily had a moment of recognition.

“T could stand for Tonks! Like Mrs. Tonks, Teddy’s Grandmum! NT must have been Teddy’s mum,” she concluded. Rose frowned.

“I thought his mother’s name was Dora?”

Dominique shook her head. “No I remember Teddy telling me once that her full name was Nymphadora but she hated it so she went by Tonks.” Rose seemed satisfied with this.

“I guess they were in Hogsmeade that night while everyone else was at the ball,” Rose said.

“Isn’t it funny how you can learn more from intimate objects then from your own parents?” Dominique grumbled. Yeah, Roxanne thought, it’s just hysterical.


	3. The Yule Brawl

Chapter 3: The Yule Brawl

**James**

“You look like a pygmy puff.”

This was the first thing that came out of James’ mouth as he stood in the common room. He was meeting up with Lily, Hugo, Dominique to walk down to the entrance hall. It was 7:30 and the ball would start at 8. James thought he looked pretty ace in his dress robes. At least they didn’t clash with his hair, as Lily’s pale pink ones did. Thus leading James to spout out that brilliant gem.

“You’re such a git,” Lily smacked him with her furry pink purse. James winced in mock pain. Dominique gave him a “You are an arse” look while Hugo just attempted to hide his snigger.

“And that’s why I’m your favorite brother,” he replied, grinning wickedly. Lily rolled her eyes and walked out the portrait hole, Dominique right behind her. Hugo and James quickly followed suit. Soon they were standing on the steps that led to the entrance hall. It was their decided meeting spot, since the entrance hall was flooded with the out of town guests.

“Oi Potter!” James and Lily both turned round. Scorpius and Roxanne fought through the crowd and then ran up the steps to join them with Rose right behind them. James could see she looked a bit nervous. Her date must not have arrived yet.

“Malfoy! See you’ve decided to start dating my cousins.” James said slyly. Scorpius grinned in an impish way while Roxanne gave the special James Potter eye roll. They had all decided that James’ “witty” comments deserved their own brand of eye rolling, and thus the highly exaggerated, eyes straight up to the ceiling and then back to the floor, move was born.

“I’m only his date to the ball,” Roxanne insisted.

“Yeah, well as long as you stick to my cousins you’ll be alright mate. My sister is off limits,” James said in a lighthearted yet deadly serious tone. Lily sighed.

“James I don’t need you going around telling blokes off. I’m perfectly capable of doing that myself,” Lily said rising up a little to meet James’ height. It failed for Lily was an average height, in fact a little on the tall side, but James had inherited the tall, gangly Weasley genes so prominent in his Uncle Bill and Uncle Ron.

James noticed Scorpius was looking at Rose, as if gauging her reaction to the conversation. She wasn’t really paying attention for she was constantly scanning the entrance hall to see if her date had come. He could tell Scorpius was a little hurt by this. James wished he could just tell Rose that Scorpius was in love with her, but he had learned his lesson about blabbing the hard way. Although he had only been 12 when he told his parents about Teddy and Victoire at Platform 9 and 3/4, he still realized he had been immature. It wasn’t his news to tell. James retained a certain sense of guilt over this. Maybe if they had shared the news first, they would still be together.

So he kept his mouth shut as Scorpius put on a fake smile and started chatting with Hugo about Quidditch. Suddenly Rose squealed. Scorpius turned around so fast James thought he heard his neck snap. But it wasn’t the date.

It was Al and Alice Longbottom. He had borrowed their father’s old green robes, the ones Nana Molly had picked out years ago and their mother insisted he wear to the ball. James couldn’t help feel a bit envious of this. He thought he would look just as nice in the emerald robes; isn’t green supposed to suit redheads?

“Why Albert you look positively spiffing in those robes!” James cried in his most exuberant air.

Alice frowned as she approached them, looking pointedly at James and admonishing him silently for his sarcasm. He couldn’t look at her. She looked stunning in royal blue robes, accented with a headband of golden feathers in her honey colored hair. It hurt to see disapproval on her gorgeous features and to know that he caused it….well that made it ten times worse.

“I have no idea how we could possibly be related,” Al said shaking his head with a small grin. Lily nodded pointedly in his direction. James pulled them both into a bone-crushing hug.

“Nonsense Alan! You’re stuck with me and Lilypad here for life!” He cried jovially. James found that the best way to mask his emotions was to hide behind his humor, his jokes and his pranks. His cousins were far too distracted giving him the James Potter eye roll to notice that he might not be as happy as he appeared. Right now he knew he was overcompensating. Alice’s disapproval cut through him like a knife and his words were only pushing it in further.

His father seemed to be the only one with the ability to see through his guise. He had once asked him if it took a lot of effort, pretending not to care about anything. The truth was that treating everything trivially was far easier than treating anything with importance. He had no idea what to do now that he had found something of importance. Someone he was most positively, definitely in love with. Who happened to prefer his brother.

Al and Lily broke free and James waved them off. Soon everyone began talking, splintering the group with individual conversations. James found he didn’t have the patience to listen. He wandered down the steps, taking in the scene.

The Entrance Hall had been re-decorated and now included a large fireplace with sitting chairs where the house points had been only yesterday. Tiny cherubs were sprinkling glittering snowflakes onto the guests as they crossed the threshold while a large crystal chandelier refracted the light to every corner of the hall.

James saw his Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione speaking with Shannon Finnegan’s parents. Uncle Ron seemed slightly nervous at how his wife was laughing with Mrs. Finnegan. He thought he had heard Shannon say that her parents had gone to the original ball together. Through the speckled light from both fireplace and chandelier, James could see a few long gashes on Mrs. Finnegan’s face, similar to the ones on Uncle Bill.

Suddenly her heard his name being called. He turned and saw his parents waving at him from near the entrance. He ran over to them. His mother threw her arms around him into a tight embrace. He managed to wiggle out of it with both his lungs intact.

“Did you just arrive?” He asked. His father nodded.

“We’ve rented a room at the Three Broomsticks for the night,” his mother said beaming. She looked fantastic in her green robes that subtly matched his father’s eyes. He was sporting a fancier pair of black robes, his jet black hair still as messy as always although nowadays it was beginning to show signs of gray.

“That’s great,” James said with a smile.

“So where is your date?” she asked. His face fell a little.

“I’m not going with anyone,” he said putting on the air of nonchalance. Ginny looked puzzled.

“But I thought you were so popular sweetheart. There’s a girl trying to catch your eye right now,” she teased. He turned to see Lyanna White giving him a seductive look. Or at least her version of seductive. Her eyes twitched and she looked as though she was about to pass gas.

“Er, I guess I’d rather go alone then without the right girl,” James shrugged. Harry looked taken aback.

“James Sirius Potter, a romantic? Never would have guessed it,” He smirked. James ignored him. Harry looked around the room and stopped at the sight of a thin, excited man waving to him by the fire.

“I see Dennis Creevy trying to catch my eye. I’ll be right back,” Harry said and he left James alone with his mother.

“Oh James, did you even try to the smoothing potion I sent you?” She admonished, attempting to flatten his hair. He moved out of reach of her hand. Even at his height she had found a way to get to his hair.

“In all the time you’ve been married to Dad has any of that stuff ever worked on his hair?” He asked pointedly.

“That’s a fair point,” she conceded. James didn’t know what else to say to that so he shoved his hand in the pockets of his robes. He saw his mother’s smile falter a little.

“Are you alright sweetheart? You look worried,” she said, obviously overly concerned for his well being. Ginny Potter had managed to be just as over caring as her mother had been.

“I’m fine mum, really. I think I saw Freddie over there. I’m going to go say hi. I’ll see you later,” And then he turned before she could say anything else. James walked over to the door of the side of the Entrance Hall, which led to the kitchens. He just needed some peace and quiet. As he closed the door behind him, he heard a noise from a little way down the corridor.

Victoire was crying in corner. The loud sniffling noise told James she had been there for awhile. He walked down the corridor as silently as he could, hoping his appearance wouldn’t upset her further.

She looked so elegant in her pearly white robes, splayed down on the cold stone floor. A white lily was perched delicately atop her loose curls, her blonde hair obscuring her face. James was in awe of the scene. He took one step too loudly and Victoire jerked her head up. She attempted to shove something in her hand back into her robes but it flew out of her hand and floated down the corridor, landing by James’ feet.

“James!” She stood up, ready to snatch it back but James had already picked it up. It was a photograph in black and white. It was moving yet he couldn’t tell what he was supposed to be looking at. Finally he saw it; a small figure hunched in the middle, thumb in its mouth, and moving its tiny limbs ever so slightly. James frowned and then looked up just in time for Victoire to snatch the picture from him.

“Victoire, what is this?” He asked. He was surprised at how soft his voice had gotten. He had never been known for his tact in handling delicate situations.

“Nothing. Just forget it,” she snapped. Unconsciously her hand moved towards her stomach and James finally understood what the picture was.

“Oh…” was all he could say. His eyes were wide and he felt a complete sense of shock. Victoire saw that he had figured it out and sighed deeply, tears running fast down her face. “Is it, um….Teddy’s?” he asked delicately. She nodded.

“P-please don’t tell anyone. No one knows,” she said in a small, strained voice. Then she did something completely unexpected. She flung her arms around him and sobbed into his robes. Her lily fell to the ground and James just stared at her, awkwardly reciprocating her hug and patting her back lightly. When she pulled away he could feel the wet stains on his chest.

“Of course I won’t tell anyone,” he said in a voice that exuded more confidence then he felt. Victoire turned to leave but he called out for her.

“Wait! Take this,” he pulled out his father’s old invisibility cloak, stashed away in his robes. Victoire looked puzzled.

“So you can-er-leave in privacy,” he said lamely. She still looked confused.

“Why do you have this with you?” she asked.

James replied, “A true marauder always keeps his weapons handy” He opened up the right side of his robes to reveal his wand and the left to show the Marauder’s Map. Victoire broke into a small smile. James breathed a sigh of relief. This time I won’t mess this up for her.  
___

**Rose**

“Welcome to the Cedric Diggory Youth Quidditch Foundation’s first Yule Ball fundraiser!”

Rose wasn’t really paying attention to Mrs. Warren’s speech. Everyone had just been seated, promptly at 8 for the opening speeches and the first dance, followed by dinner and more dancing. Rose couldn’t wait for the dancing to start. She was finally here with Noel, her Beauxbaton’s pen pal.

She couldn’t believe it when she first saw him; there was no way he was her date to the ball. The clichéd tall, dark and handsome never seemed so new and exciting. Plus he had an accent that made her heart melt. He knew very little English so he depended on her to help him talk to her cousins, all except for Victoire, Louis and Dominique who were fluent and French. Rose was happy to practice her limited French with him and surprised at how much they could communicate to each other without a common language. All she knew was that if he was as good a dancer as he was a conversationalist, then she would be set.

So her focus waned as Mrs. Warren finished speaking and Professor McGonagall stepped up to speak. She was impressed by how large and sparkling the Great Hall looked. It was a good thing snow was falling outside; the snowflakes on the ceiling blended perfectly with the crystal ice sculptures at every table and the frost covered walls.

At her table, Al seemed to be hanging onto Professor McGonagall’s words. And they think I’m the teacher’s pet, she scoffed. Alice was looking at him with a look that clearly said she couldn’t be happier to be in his company. It was almost sickening to see. She loved Alice dearly. Her father, Professor Longbottom, Rose’s parents and Al’s parents were good friends. She had grown up with her and considered her to be one of her best friends. In fact besides Scorpius she might be the only friend Rose had who wasn’t also her family member.

James seemed to have taken his threat to go stag seriously. He was watching Professor McGonagall but with glazed eyes, as though he wasn’t really listening. Next to him Freddie was chatting with his date, a pretty seventh year named Cassandra Rhone. How he managed to get her Rose wouldn’t understand. I guess he and James were both known to be pranksters. Uncle George always said it helped him with the ladies, although Aunt Angelina told her in private that she was the only girlfriend he ever really had. Next to Cassandra was Molly, trying to stifle her giggles as her date, Darren Crosby, was adding his own captions to McGonagall’s speech.

Sitting at the table next to them were the rest of the Weasley cousins. Lily and Lorcan seemed to be having a thumb wrestling match under the table while Lucy looked on disapprovingly and Lysander provided color commentary in hushed tones. Her brother was sitting next to Shannon Finnegan, who kept trying to get his attention as he resolutely ignored her. Next to her, Rose could see Louis attempting to start a conversation with Shannon while his date glared at him.

Finally Rose looked at the last members of her table. Roxanne was playing with her fork and Scorpius… He quickly jerked his head back to where the teachers were and pretended as if he was concentrating on the Headmistress. But Rose had seen it. He had been staring at her. There was something in his look she couldn’t place. It was like he was seeing her for the first time, taking in everything about her. It was strange to see him act like that, he was usually so composed to the point of nonchalance.

It seemed that the speeches had finally ended. The first song played and Rose saw the couples who were meant to the open the ball walk to the center of the hall. All those who had attended the first ball or fought in the war were permitted to dance. Rose saw her mother and father waltz onto the floor. Her mother was wearing a shade of deep maroon, her hair tied in an elegant twist. Her father was smiling, twirling his wife around the floor with a gentle ease. She laughed as he spun her fast and then scooped her low, catching her in his long arms. Rose sighed. It was so romantic how a couple who had been together for 23 years could act as though they were 18 again.

Finally it was time. All of the couples were called up. Noel rose from his seat and offered her his hand. She accepted and they made their way to a corner of the floor. It was wonderful, dancing with him. He held her with such a delicate touch, and they moved so completely in synch. It was over far too soon.

Dinner was amazing as per usual. The house elves had really out done themselves. Thanks to her mother, house elves were now allowed to have holidays and payment. Most of them still weren’t convinced but it was catching on. Rose made sure that SPEW was still relevant at Hogwarts. James and Al always laughed at her, saying there was not much else she could do except force the house elves to take her gold. But for some odd reason, Scorpius seemed to support her. In fact, his father had forbidden him to get involved with it (apparently his house elf had been freed by her Uncle Harry and there was still some bad blood). Scorpius didn’t care. He still came with her to recruit people from different houses and even attempted to get some Slytherins to join. He was locked in an armoire on the fifth floor for 10 hours for his trouble.

When the dancing started up again, Rose decided to make the rounds. She saw her brother was sitting moodily at the table by himself. It looked like Shannon had scored a dance with Robbie Wood.

“Hugo, you alright?” Rose asked anxiously. Her brother wasn’t usually like this. In fact, she was the one with the terrible temper. Her father called her Hurricane Rosie when she was upset. Of course that only enraged her further. She remembered once when she was eight she was so mad she made all of her father’s hair fall out. He bore a striking resemblance to Grandad Weasley before he was able to grow his hair out again.

Hugo grunted as a response. Rose noticed what he was staring at. Her Uncle Harry had finally been cornered by the Daily Prophet. They were taking a photo by the Great Hall entrance of the former champions and their families. Uncle Harry looked slightly abashed but smiled, obviously supported by Aunt Ginny holding his hand. James and Al stood at their sides, probably separated for their own good, while Lily stood right in the middle in front of her father and mother. Her Aunt Fleur and Uncle Bill stood to the left of them with Victoire, Dominique and Louis who all put on fake grins for the camera that quickly disappeared once they had finished taking the picture.

Finally, Rose saw what Hugo was staring at. The other champion, Victor Krum, was standing to the Potters’ right with his stunning wife and Sofia, his only daughter. Hugo seemed focused on staring at the girl, drinking in everything about her.

“Hugh, are you, I mean, do you like Sofia?” Rose asked, a smile creeping up her face. Hugo snapped out of his sulking, his face bright red. It was all she needed to know. She left him stuttering a denial.

A few tables over she spotted her parents chatting with Arlene Thomas’ father. Well her mother was chatting. She was surprised to see her father was also staring at the photo op. It was uncanny how Hugo had inherited his mannerisms. He had his arm crossed but he wasn’t sulking, rather taking in the situation with a small frown. She sat down next to him.

“Hi Dad,” she said. He put her arm around her shoulder and smiled.

“Hello Rosie. How’s it going? Where is your date?” he asked. His tone was casual but Rose knew her father well enough to know that there was a slight edge at the mention of Noel.

“He’s dancing with Roxanne,” she pointed him out and Ron nodded. Suddenly a man approached the table. It was Victor Krum, the former Bulgarian seeker. Rose saw her mum jump up to greet him.

“Hello Hermo-ninny,” He said in a gruff voice.

“Victor!” Rose had never heard her mother shriek like that before. It was as though she had turned into a teenage girl, all semblance of being a mother and the Head of the Department of Law Enforcement forgotten.

They hugged and Rose saw her dad spring up. He shoved his hand at Krum, breaking up the hug. Krum took it and Rose could see her father was squeezing as hard as he could, a grimace on his face. She walked away quietly, leaving them to their discussion.

Rose had no idea why her father was acting like that, or her mother for that matter. She was always known as the perceptive one in the family. (Or as Hugo pointed out, acutely aware of reading everyone except for him. Rose would disagree; Hugo was an open book. Scorpius was the one person she had a tough time discerning anything from.)

She found her feet had moved her to the Entrance Hall. And then she heard it.

“Get off of him! Help! Somebody!”

___

**Teddy**

Teddy had no idea what he was doing. He stood leaning against a wall, silently swinging firewhisky from a flask hidden in his robes. He watched as the couples danced around him, envying every happy face, every thrill of laughter. He knew he was a mess. His dress robes, the ones he only pulled out for Auror functions at the Ministry, were slightly singed from when he was accidently ignited by the large fire in the Entrance Hall. Thank Merlin no one was around to see that. Especially her.

There she was in her white robes, the paragon of purity. Dancing with Edgar Davies, the most obnoxious wart he had ever had the misfortune to meet. Sure he was handsome and charming and wealthy; but didn’t Teddy have these things too? Maybe not so much wealth, but he and his Grandmother had finally received some of the Black inheritance that was previously divided between Bellatrix Lestrange and Narcissa Malfoy. So then that left Davies with the name, a family name to be proud of. Unlike Lupin,Teddy snarled and finished off the rest of the flask in one go.

“Take it easy there, mate!” Teddy turned to see James heading his way. He was also dateless to the ball. He pointed at the flask as Teddy attempted to clumsily hide it in his robes. If Teddy had been sober he probably would have noticed the strange look James was giving him at that moment but he was far too inebriated to see anything clearly.

“Give me that” James pulled the flask out of his hand and sniffed it.

“Ugh, Teddy, was this full of firewhisky?” Teddy didn’t respond. James rummaged through his robes and pulled out a round golden coin.

“Here take this.”

Teddy looked at him wearily. “What am I going to do with a galleon?” He asked perplexed.

“It’s not just any galleon,” James said shaking his head. ”Look” He tapped it with his wand and suddenly words appeared where the serial numbers should have been.

“Just write something small, like help or SOS, and I’ll come get you.”

“Why do you need to get me?” Teddy asked indignantly. He tried to stand up straight but nearly fell over. He was extremely clumsy when he was drunk.

“Cause if my mum catches you, you won’t hear the end of it. You may be an adult but I’m sure you wouldn’t want to hear Mum’s rant.” James said warningly. Teddy nodded and slid the coin into his pocket.

“Cheers!” James said as he turned away. Teddy’s eyes returned to the rest of the ball. He saw she and Davies were heading toward the Entrance Hall. He followed them.

It hadn’t always been like that. Teddy remembered that brief, shining moment of happiness. Five years wasn’t nearly enough and now he had lost her. He knew it was his fault, knew he had started the argument and driven her away. Some part of him still stood by it, that self-sacrificing part that made it so hard for him to be happy. He had thought it was the right thing at the time and maybe it still was, but three months after their break up and he still couldn’t get Victoire out of his head.

He had always felt like an outsider. Although the Weasleys and the Potters had always been like his family, they simply weren’t. He loved the Weasley grandchildren, they were his siblings, his best friends and one was the love of his life. But they didn’t understand. Only Harry understood what it was like. He had a family but they were borrowed. They weren’t his blood.

He was thankful for his grandmother, for a connection he knew even his godfather never had. But she was older, more set in the ancient ways and as much as she loved him, he could tell that she felt a sadness looking at him. She lost a daughter and he lost his parents. He grew up in a loving home with a dark cloud hanging over it.

Now he felt isolated again. He knew that Nana Molly had tried. She was constantly inviting him over. Most of the time he accepted, but only when he knew Victoire or her parents would not be there. He actually got along well with her father but he knew that it would be impossible to maintain their tentative friendship now. And he was sure that Victoire’s mother hated him. He hated himself too.

When he entered the Entrance Hall, his eyes immediately found Victoire. She and Edgar were surprisingly the only people there. He had her in an embrace, kissing her fiercely against a stone wall. Teddy felt he was going to be sick. Victoire seemed to be completely passive, letting Davies kiss her without returning anything.

“Mmm, Edgar…I think I want to go back inside,” She said, breaking free of his mouth finally and pushing herself a little away. He moved in again, pinning her to the wall. Again she pushed him off.

“She said she wanted to go back inside.” Teddy had crossed the distance between himself and the couple and had pulled Edgar off of her. The force of it nearly knocked him to the ground.

“Teddy, stop.” Victoire called out to him angrily. “I could have handled it,”

“I don’t think he was going to stop, were you?” Teddy asked to Davies who was now glaring at him. Before he knew it he had swung at him.

Davies’ fist hit him straight in the jaw. He was knocked to the ground, his lip bursting open and blood trickling down his chin. He quickly got up and soon Davies was the one on the floor. He wrestled with him, punching every bit of him he could find.

“Get off of him! Help! Somebody!” Victoire called out frantically. Teddy didn’t know how long he was on the ground until he felt two sets of arms pull him up. He swung at them and missed. One of the hands punched him right back.

“You git! I’m trying to help you!” James spat. He and Scorpius had managed to restrain Teddy while Albus and Freddie had a hold of Davies. Davies gave him a nasty grin and then sauntered back into the ball. Teddy was pleased to see his eye was swollen.

“What the hell is going on?” Lucy asked. She had just entered the hall, along with Lily, Hugo, Roxanne and Louis. Teddy noticed that Molly and Dominique were standing by Victoire, comforting her and handing her tissues.

“Nothing. I’m going.” Teddy then bolted up the steps. Where he was going he had no idea. He heard dozens of footsteps following him, calling his name and urging him to stop. But he didn’t stop. Not until he reached the 7th floor corridor.

He paced back and forth three times and then entered the Room. It was equipped with some healing potions and a comfortable couch. Everything he would need. Unfortunately for him, the door did not shut in time. All of the Weasleys tumbled into the room, with Scorpius right behind them.

“I just want to be alone right now. Could you please just bugger off!” Teddy yelled. He felt the heat in his face rising and his body shook with fury. One of the healing potions zoomed by the door and missed Al by inches. A loud boom accompanied it. The sound was so loud everyone covered their ears. Then they straightened up and Lily moved forward toward Teddy.

“Teddy it’s alright. We just want to help you,” she said kindly. Unfortunately at that moment Louis chose to come up to them.

“Oi, would you leave my sister alone. Hasn’t she had enough from you?” He spat angrily. Suddenly everyone the room burst into arguments. Some siding with Teddy, some siding with their cousins and some demanding there by no sides at all.

“Everyone….hello…SHUT UP!” Everyone froze, shocked to see it was Al who had just yelled at them.

“Let’s just get back the ball. Everyone’s going to want to know where we were and quite frankly Teddy you didn’t make this room big enough for all of us.” There was some general murmuring at this and they all headed toward the door. Al tugged at it.

“Is it locked?” Scorpius asked. Rose and Lucy both performed an Alohamora spell but it didn’t budge. Everyone took turns pulling at the door. Teddy watched them all, still furious at them for breaking up the fight and then following him up here. Finally he couldn’t take it any longer. James and Freddie were banging on the door and Teddy’s head was starting to pound. Note to self: no more firewhisky.

He reached the door and pulled as hard as he could. Miraculously it opened.

“How’d you do that?” Freddie asked, clearly shocked. Teddy shrugged. They filed out of the room and headed to the stairs. Suddenly, Teddy stopped. Roxanne nearly ran into him and Louis into her. Teddy stared out the window.

“Um, how long were we in there for?” He asked, wide eyed. Rose glanced at the window and her mouth dropped.

“It’s already morning!” She shrieked. The sun was clearly rising, casting the sky around the castle in an orange yellow glow.

“Bullocks.” Was all Teddy could manage to say.


End file.
